Realize
by Tamaki and Haruhi 4ever
Summary: It's Sonny's first Christmas in Hollywood and away from home...but instead of feeling the holiday spirit, she's feeling homesick for her life back in Wisconsin. Can Chad find a way to get through to her? Channy oneshot. Better than it sounds, R&R!


**A/N: Yesss! I officially LOVE the show Sonny With A Chance!! I've always sorta liked it, ya know, and sometimes maybe watched an episode, but after watching several with my sister today, I just love it now! It's so hilarious and entertaining! And of course I adore the couple Channy...aren't they the cutest couple ever? THEY'RE THE NEW SPOVA!!! I know half of you probably had no idea what I was talking about, so just ignore my weirdness. :P Well, anyways, I felt inspiration to write a oneshot about them. This takes place at Christmastime, and I know it's not anywhere near Christmas right now, but let's use our imaginations. XD I hope y'all like it! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, I say. You hear me? I OWN NOTHING!**

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Sonny sighed and stared at her reflection on her spoon. She looked glum. Actually, she looked more than glum. She looked miserable. And that's because she was.

Sonny set aside her plate, not feeling hungry at all. She glanced around at her castmembers of So Random! and even their director, Marshall, who were chatting and living it up. They looked like they were having a great time as they exchanged gifts. As for Sonny, she had already been given hers. A totally cute, pink, fluffy scarf that only Tawni would wear from Tawni, a free coupon to McDonald's and a CD from Nico, a cute stuffed animal from Grady, and...some contraption from Zora that Sonny had no clue what it was. She had politely thanked them but felt totally empty inside.

It was her first Christmas in Hollywood and away from home, and Sonny was terribly homesick. She missed the smell of homemade chocolate chip cookies and going out to cut down a Christmas tree, then decorating it with freshly popped popcorn. She missed snuggling in a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate in hand in front of the cozy fire. She missed the blankets of snow that covered every inch of the ground. But, most of all, she missed her family and missed celebrating the holiday with them. She wondered what they were doing at the moment and if they were thinking of her.

Sonny stole a brief look around her. She had to admit, she was impressed at how nicely decorated the place was. There was even a wreath hanging on the door. Sonny wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold.

"Hey, Sonny. What's wrong? Besides that ugly sweater." Tawni suddenly appeared in front of her, styling a red dress that hugged her curves and a green Christmas-y feather bo around her neck. She even wore Christmas tree earrings.

Sonny glanced down at her green turtleneck sweater with Santa Claus faces all over it. True, it wasn't the best she could do, but Sonny thought it was okay, and she didn't really feel the holiday spirit. "Oh, I guess I'm feeling a little bit homesick."

Tawni flipped her curly blonde hair over her shoulder. "Don't worry, you get used to it. I'm sure that with a little eggnog, you'll be feeling as jolly as Jolly Ol' St. Nick in no time." She gestured toward Sonny's sweater.

Sonny stood. "Thanks but no thanks, Tawni. I think I just need some time alone." Her dark brown eyes shimmered as she turned and left, quite hurriedly.

"What's her problem?" Nico asked Tawni, having just walked up as Sonny ran off.

Tawni spun on her heel--very high heel, in fact--toward the food table. "Oh, nothing. Sonny's just missin' her kinfolk back down South," she said, imitating an exaggerated southern drawl.

Marshall overheard. "Well, it _is _her first Christmas without her family," he commented. "I remember my first Christmas without my mom." His face crumpled and he sniffled loudly. "I think I need to go call Mommy," he said, his voice trembling, then hurried away, holding back a sob.

Zora looked surprised. "I thought Sonny would cheer up after I gave her _my _present."

Tawni looked with disgust at Zora's gift laying on the table. "Zora, I doubt Sonny even knows what it is!"

Grady gasped loudly, then hurried to the punch bowl as everyone turned to look at him in surprise. "It's eggnog!!!" he shouted. He and Nico started fighting over the cups and the ladle---which is the large spoon used to scoop punch from the punchbowl. Tawni and Zora rolled their eyes.

Meanwhile, Sonny hurried through the hallways, eager to get to her dressing room and have a good cry. She felt so lonely and empty inside. She wondered if every holiday away from home felt like this. _Do I really want to stay here in Hollywood? _Keeping her tears in check, Sonny kept up her pace. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she ran straight into someone.

"Whoa! I'm so sor-" Sonny stopped short when she saw an equally surprised Chad standing there. "Oh, Chad. I didn't see you there." Realizing her voice had been trembling, she cleared her throat and added with regained composure, and with an edge to her tone, "What are _you_ doing here? Don't you have your own Christmas party back at the Mackenzie Falls studio?"

Chad's sparkly blue eyes stared intently back at her as he gave a cocky grin. "Yeah. But being the nice guy I am, I decided to drop by and wish you the season's greetings." He frowned when he saw the tears in Sonny's eyes. "Are you okay?"

Sonny crossed her arms and stuck out her chin, blinking back her tears. "I'm fine. But even if I wasn't, you wouldn't care, because you don't care about anyone but yourself!" she snapped.

Chad held up his hands innocently, his eyes wide. "Whoa, easy there, tiger. Feeling a bit feisty today, eh, Monroe?"

Sonny sighed and slumped up against the wall. "Sorry, Chad. I guess I'm just feeling a little down today," she admitted.

Chad looked at her, something showing in his eyes that Sonny had never seen before---genuine concern. "I'm listening. What's going on?"

"You mean you actually care?" Sonny joked, smiling slightly. She brushed back a curly lock of brown hair and slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground.

"Hey, you just have to catch me at the right moment." Chad grinned and sat down beside her.

Their shoulders brushed noticeably and Sonny looked at the ground. "Well...this may sound stupid, but this is my first Christmas here and away from home...and I guess..I'm just feeling a little homesick." Pausing a bit, Sonny then added, "Okay, a _lot _homesick."

Sonny expected to hear a mean laugh from Chad and see an eye roll, but instead he nodded..and there was a look of understanding in his eyes. "...Why aren't you making fun of me?"

Chad shook his head. "I'm not going to make fun of your feelings, Sonny. I can tell you're really upset over this." He looked at her tenderly.

Sonny felt her eyes widen. Were those just the words that had come out of Chad Dylan Cooper's mouth? Since when did he become so caring and sensitive? Chad seemed to read her thoughts and chuckled. "I know what you're thinking. You know, even I have a good side." He hesitated, then continued. "You may not believe this, but I was homesick on my first Christmas. I was close to booking an airplane ticket and going home. But I couldn't, because I had to shoot a Christmas special episode of Mackenzie Falls. But that is an entirely different story." Chad stopped and looked straight ahead, as if he were remembering. "First time's always tough. But you'll get used to it, Sonny. Before you know it, here in Hollywood, it will seem like home. A home-away-from-home. Know what I mean?"

Sonny slowly nodded. Strangely enough, Chad's words had given her comfort and a renewed energy to get through today and have fun. They both stood and it was then that Sonny realized her hand had been intertwined in his. They awkwardly pulled apart and brushed themselves off. They stood in uncomfortable silence for a few moments until Chad suddenly dug something out of his pocket.

"Oh, I forgot the real reason I came." Chad held out a tiny black box with a red bow on it toward Sonny. "This is for you, Sonny. Merry Christmas."

Sonny openly gawked at the small present as she gently took it. Chad was surprising her even more by the second. Had he always had this sweet side or had she been too blinded by his outer snobby demeanor to see it?

Chad cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Well? Are you gonna open it or not?"

Sonny looked up and chuckled at Chad's comment. "Sorry. This is...kind of a shock." She slowly opened it to find a beautiful gold locket inside, with a cursive engraving scribbled neatly on the front. It read _Sonny ._

Sonny gasped and carefully took out the necklace, then opened the locket. Inside was more cursive engraving. It read _Home's where the heart is_. Sonny's vision blurred and she desperately tried to keep tears from falling. "Chad..it's beautiful," she mumured.

Chad took the locket and went behind Sonny. He drooped the locket in front of her then clasped it in the back. Sonny fingered the locket and where her name was engraved, then smiled. "Thank you, Chad. That was so sweet of you." Before he could reply, she spun around and embraced him. Chad was taken aback at first, then at last wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. He smiled with a faraway look in his eye.

At last they separated and Sonny apologized for not getting him anything, but he brushed it off. Just as Chad said goodbye and started to depart, Sonny clasped him by the arm. "Wait, Chad," she said with a smile. "Do you want to come to our Christmas party for a little bit? Probably not as fancy as yours, but.."

Chad smiled and turned back around. "Sure. As long as you have eggnog, and not that cheap knock-off brand, either."

Meanwhile, Zora was on a ladder and trying to hang something from the doorway. Tawni sighed and planted her hands on her hips. "Zora, what do you think you're doing?"

"I _think _this might be my greatest idea yet!" Zora stepped down the ladder, beaming, to reveal a perfectly hung mistletoe.

"If you think you're trying to set me up with..." Tawni began angrily with a sidelong glance at Nico and Grady.

"No! I'm trying to set up Sonny and Chad," Zora replied with a wicked grin, moving the ladder back to its place in the corner.

Tawni arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh yeah? How do you know Sonny's even coming back, and why would Chad be here?" she questioned.

Zora rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?" she responded with a duh tone. "Somehow, someway, Sonny always manages to bump into Chad. I'm sure he gave her a Christmas present and blah blah blah, then Sonny invited him to come...then, smoochin' time!" Her grin went up to her ears.

"You really think things through," Nico commented, impressed. "I just hope that-"

"Guys! They're coming!" Grady shouted from the doorway from where he was peeking out. Laughter and chatter sounded from Sonny and Chad as they approached. Everyone else scrambled to their places, trying to act as cool and casual as they could. It was hard, though, when Grady bursted into a fit of giggles every five seconds.

The hushed voices and sharp whispers died down when Sonny and Chad approached. Oblivious to the mistletoe above them, they started to walk right in, but Tawni ran right in front of them and held out a hand. "Stop!" she shrieked. Sonny and Chad stared at her oddly. "I mean.." Tawni thought for a moment, then said, "You know, I just wanted you guys to know how much I love Christmas, mostly because..."

"Of all the presents you get?" Sonny guessed with arched eyebrows.

Tawni burst into laughter exaggeratedly. "Oh, Sonny, you're so funny!"

"You rhymed!" Grady exclaimed like it was the most amazing thing in the world.

Nico chimed in. "I think what Tawni is trying to say is that....she loves looking up at the ceiling...at Christmastime.." Tawni and Zora slapped their foreheads. Sonny and Chad exchanged bewildered glances.

"Okay, are we missing something?" Chad asked.

Zora sighed. "Look above you," she said.

They did. Sonny and Chad slowly looked up and saw the mistletoe, then looked horrified. They looked at each other, then at the mistletoe, then at each other, then accusingly at the others. "You set us up, didn't you?" Sonny demanded.

Tawni let out a big, dramatic gasp. "Oh my goodness! Do my eyes deceive me, or is that a mistletoe hanging above Chad and Sonny? I have no idea how that got there!" An obviously fake shocked look crossed the blonde's pretty face.

"Cut the act," Sonny snarled.

"Well, you know the drill," Nico told them with a grin. "So..."

"Get smoochin'!" Zora finished.

Sonny and Chad looked at each other warily, then finally faced each other. They awkwardly closed their eyes and inched their faces closer until their lips met in a short, tender kiss. Zora watched in truimph while Tawni awwed. The boys were smiling. At last the twosome separated and smiled, not wanting to admit they'd actually enjoyed it. Just then she realized something. Sonny looked deep into his eyes and realized the feeling she had inside, something that she had felt all along but hadn't known it. She cared deeply for Chad Dylan Cooper. And seeing the fond look on his face, she guessed that he felt the same way.

They stared into one another's eyes dreamily, and it was then that Sonny realized something else.

Second, you didn't have to be in a log cabin for Christmas, or even have snow to play in for Christmas. You didn't have to have a Christmas tree or eggnog or even presents. All that mattered was being surrounded by the people you love. And it was like the locket said, home was where the heart was. And her heart was certainly here. Her mother had once told Sonny that if you had more friends than you could count on your hand, you were lucky.

Well, Sonny did. And for that, she felt extremely lucky. And she had to admit, this year was one of the best Christmases ever. Her first year at So Random! had been off to a great start, full of laughter and hurts and memories she wasn't going to forget. Sonny could hardly wait for what was in store for the future.

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**A/N: Awww! Aren't they the best couple ever? I just love the chemistry between them! Well, I had fun writing this, and I hope you enjoyed it! I hope I was in character with everyone, because I've only watched a few episodes. But I think it was pretty good for my first try. I think I might get around to making another Channy fic soon, but I don't know. Give me some feedback and I'll think about it. :) Please don't hesitate to tell me what you really thought of this oneshot, and I'm open to helpful tips. But no flames please!! YOUR FLAMES WILL BE USED TO ROAST MY MARSHMELLOWS!!! XDXDXD Randomness!! Anyway, now review! I'm out!**


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